Author Jackie Collins, who wrote the bestselling novel Hollywood Wives, has died at the age of 77 from breast cancer.

Collins, who kept the illness a secret, passed away in her home in Los Angeles. Her sister, actress Dame Joan Collins, only found out about her condition a few short weeks before her death.

Jackie Collins wrote a total of 32 novels, which frequently dealt with the glamorous sex lives of the rich and famous and were often described as 'bonkbusters' by publishers, due to their outrageous sexual content and their high volume of sales. Her most famous novel, Hollywood Wives, was adapted for television and starred Anthony Hopkins and Farrah Fawcett.

A statement from her family reads: "It is with tremendous sadness that we announce the death of our beautiful, dynamic and one of a kind mother, Jackie Collins, who died of breast cancer today. She was a true inspiration, a trail blazer for women in fiction and a creative force. She will live on through her characters but we already miss her beyond words."

Already, tributes have poured in for the author from all quarters.

 

 

 

She is survived by her three daughters and her sister Joan.